10 Best Boxing Fights

Looking for the 10 best boxing fights? Oftentimes what makes a boxing fight stand out has more to do with the buildup and controversies surrounding the event rather than the fight itself. However, most of the ten best boxing fights listed here are just great fights, period. Many of these fights also happen to feature legendary fighters battling at key moments in their careers.

1. Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III. Known around the world as the “Thrilla in Manilla,” this meeting between legendary boxers Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier was one of the most anticipated events in sports history. The result was a brutal bashing that lasted fourteen rounds through the searing Philippine heat and established Ali as the greatest fighter on earth once again. 
2. Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns. Punches flew, blood was spilled and audience members gasped in what is considered the most exciting opening round in boxing history. A testament to the brutality of the sport, this famous eight-minute match ended in a semi-conscious Hearns retiring into his corner.
3. Evander Holyfield vs. Mike Tyson. A bizarre turn of events that shook the world of boxing and defamed Mike Tyson's name, this is one fight that will never be forgotten. Though many commentators agree that the tapes do reveal illegal head-butting by Holyfield, the controversial boxer’s retaliatory move to bite off his opponents ears remains one of the lowest points in professional sports. 
4. George Foreman vs. Ron Lyle. Casual spectators may not be familiar with this one but serious boxing fans regard it as one of the best boxing fights of all time. It was winner Foreman’s first fight since his famous loss to Muhammad Ali in “The Rumble In The Jungle” the previous year. Boxing commentator Red Smith called it “"the most two-sided battle of heavyweights in recent memory."
5. Evander Holyfield vs. Riddick Bowe. Considered by boxing analysts to be one of the best of all time, this fight saw Evander Holyfield at the height of his career. However, he was no match for the larger and more fearsome Bowe, who defeated Holyfield in eleven action-packed rounds to become the Heavyweight Champion of The World in 1992.
6. Ray Mancini vs. Duk Koo Kim. This tragic 1982 fight between lightweight champion Ray Mancini and the South Korean Duk Koo Kim resulted in the death of Kim and changed the world of boxing forever. Sadly, both the referee and Kim’s mother later committed suicide and Mancini fell into deep depression. From that moment on, the WBC declared that all title bouts be shortened to twelve rounds instead of fifteen.
7. Joe Louis vs. Billy Conn. Weighing 25 pounds less than his opponent, Billy Conn was the indisputable underdog in this classic 1941 fight. Conn held the impenetrable Louis to thirteen rounds by playing smart defense, but he eventually got KO-hungry. His cocky moves exposed Conn to an inevitable pounding by Louis, and the rest is history. 
8. Jack Dempsey vs. Luis Angel Firpo. Boxing has changed a lot since 1923, but this classic bout between then heavyweight champ Jack Dempsey and Argentine boxer Luis Angel Firpo ranks as one of the best fights of all time. It was also the first time a boxer from Latin America would compete in the world heavyweight boxing championship.
9. Buster Douglas vs. Mike Tyson. One of the biggest upsets in boxing history, this match revealed Tyson’s vulnerability to the world at a time when his personal life were beginning to crumble. Against 42 to 1 odds, Douglas defeated his controversial opponent in the tenth round with a game-ending five-punch combo.
10. Muhammad Ali vs. George Foreman. Known around the world as The Rumble In The Jungle, this was Muhammad Ali’s last great stand and one of the most talked about fights of all time. Foreman was favored to win over the aging Ali, but boxing’s most charismatic fighter showed up that day to prove his greatness once again.